Have you ever driven slowly around a metropolitan area, looking for a place to park? Most of us have. While GPS apps and devices can help you find a location, they don’t tell where to park. Thankfully, Google Maps is now more helpful than it already is: there is a new feature that lets users know how crowded parking is at public locations. So when you’re driving to a concert or show in a city, you will now see a “P” symbol where the parking is for your destination. The “P” will be blue if parking is available, and red if it’s limited.

How this will Help Drivers

According to NBC, about 30% of traffic in packed cities comes from drivers looking for parking. That’s a pretty substantial amount. With this app, drivers won’t have to roam around looking for parking as much. This will cut down the hassle of finding a spot for everyone on the road. For now traffic is not updated in real time. Google took the parking information from “historical parking data”. So if a parking garage is typically crowded, Google Maps will let you know to look elsewhere. This is good for drivers headed to a city they’ve never been to before, who aren’t sure which lots fill up quickly.

Who can Use Google Maps for Parking

As of right now, this feature is only on Android devices. It should come out for iOS devices at a later date. In addition to this, Google has only created this for 25 cities in the US right now. This includes: San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Portland, Cleveland, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, Miami, and more.

This is a pretty exciting development for people who use Google Maps frequently. It will help you navigate parking in dense areas, cut down traffic, and lessen the headache of driving in a city.